Fiber optic cables are frequently used as a medium in telecommunication networks to transmit signals between a central office and an end user. Each of these fiber optic cables includes at least one optical fiber that extends through the fiber optic cable. The optical fiber is a glass fiber that guides light along its length.
In the field of telecommunications, optical fiber is advantageous over electrical cables as light propagates through the optical fibers with little attenuation (i.e., loss in amplitude and intensity of an optical signal as the signal travels through the optical fiber). However, optical fibers can be subjected to attenuation losses.
Attenuation losses in optical fibers are generally categorized as either intrinsic or extrinsic. Intrinsic losses are those losses that result from inherent characteristics of the optical fiber, such as impurities in the optical fiber. Extrinsic losses, on the other hand, are those losses that occur as a result of external influences, such as bending of the optical fiber.
Specifications for optical fibers include a minimum bend radius for each of the optical fibers, where the minimum bend radius for an optical fiber is the maximum bend an optical fiber can withstand without being subjected to attenuation losses. While it is preferred to route fiber optic cables so as not to violate the minimum bend radius of the optical fibers in those cables, such cable routing can be difficult if the fiber optic cable is to be routed around edges and through holes in a residential or business premises.